FOR 
duchy of T ufcany, built by Cofmo the Great, on a moun¬ 
tain near the river Sieve : ten miles north of Florence. 
FORT St. MAR'TIN de RE', a fortrefs of France, 
in the ifland of Re, near the town of St. Martin; where 
the Englifh were defeated, under the command of the 
duke of Buckingham, in 1627. 
FORT ST. MA'RY, a fortrefs on the eafl coaft: of the 
ifland of Guadaloupe. 
FORT St. MA'RY, a fmall place of Italy, on the 
coaft of Genoa, which is fortified, on a rock nearly fepa- 
rated front the continent. 
FORT St. MA'RY, a fort of Weft Florida, on the 
eaft fide of the river Mifliftippi: fix miles fouth-eaft of 
New Orleans. 
FORT St. MI'CHEL, a fortrefs of Spain, in F.ftre- 
madura, ngar the tbwn of Bad'ajoz; taken by the Portu- 
g-uele, in 1658, but abandoned a ( ew weeks after. 
FORT St. Nl'COLAS, a fortrefs of Venetian Dal¬ 
matia, near the town of Sebenico. 
FORT St. PHl'LIP, a fortrefs of the ifland of Mi¬ 
norca, fituated on a rock near the coaft, to defend Port 
Mahon. 
FORT St. PHl'LIP, a fortrefs of the ifland of Tre- 
cera, near the town of Angra ; where Alonfo VI. was 
imprifoned fome years before his death. 
FORT de St. TIA'GO, a fort of Portugal, on the 
coaft or tire Atlantic, in the province of Entre Duero e 
Mi nho : (even miles north-north-weft of Viana. 
FORT SASTIN'GUE, a fortrefs of Flanders, on the 
Scheldt, between Hulft and Berg-op-Zoom. 
FORT TRINITE', a fort on the weft coaft of the 
ifland of Mariinico. 
FORT VAUBA'N. See Fort Louis. 
FORT URBA'NO, a tort refs of Italy, in the duchy 
of Bologna, on the frontiers of Modena : thirteen miles 
eaft of Bologna. 
FORT WE'DENBURG, a town of Africa, in the 
country of Commendo, on the Gold Coaft. 
FORT WIL'LIAM, a fort of Scotland, in the county 
of Invernefs: forty-five miles north of Inverary. 
'FORT WIL'LIAM HKN'RY, a fort of United Ame¬ 
rica, in the ftate of Pennfylvania, at the foot of the Blue 
Mountains: ^twenty miles north weft of Reading. 
FORT, or Castle,/. Thefe, and other buildings for 
fecurity or defence within the realm, are regulated by 
flat. 13 Car. II. c. 6. The prerogative, as welt of credit¬ 
ing as manning and governing of them, belongs folely to 
the king, in his capacity of general of the kingdom. No 
fubjedt can build a caftle or houfe of ftrength imbattled, or 
other fortrefs defenlible, without the licenfe of t lie king; 
for the danger which might enfue, if every man at his 
pleafure might do it. ilnjl. 5. 1 Comm. 26^. See Castle. 
FORT (Francis le), a perfon to whom fortune gave a 
confiderable ftiare in the civilization of a great empire, 
born of an ancient and noble family of Geneva, in 1656. 
An enterprifmg difpofition caufed him to quit his father’s 
houfe at the age of fourteen, and enter as a cadet in the 
French fervice. He afterwards ferved in Holland as a 
volunteer, and was wounded at the fiege of Grave. The 
hopes of preferment induced him to join a German colo¬ 
nel, who was enlifting a body of men for the czar Alexis. 
With him he arrived by fea at Archangel, where, on ac¬ 
count of the unfettled ftate of Ruffia fubfequent to the 
death of that czar, they were expofed to want and negledt. 
Le Fort got to Mofcow, and became fecretary to the 
Danilh relident. He learned the Ruffian language ; and 
being acquainted with three or four others, and poffelTed 
of a good appearance and confident manner, he attradled 
the notice of fevera! perfons of diftindtion, and finally of 
the young czar Peter. That prince found him fuch a 
perfon as lie wanted to affift him in his efforts to raife 
himfelf and his fubjedts from barbanfm He immediately 
made him acapitain of foot, and admitted him to his con¬ 
fidence. Le Fort himfeif was not a man of extenfive 
knowledge, but he had the feeds of great talents, which 
VOL. VII. No. 452. 
FOR 589 
developed tbemfelves in proportion to bis advancement; 
and he had feen enough of the arts and policy of civijifed 
Europe* to be able to fuggeft to the enquiring mind of 
his mafter thole plans on which the improvement of his 
country depended. He was employed to raife a body of 
12,000 men, chief!v intended to keep the Strelitzes in 
awe, and he was made their general. Soon after, though 
unacquainted with naval affairs, he was created an admi¬ 
ral ; and his adtivity rendered him very ufeful in forming 
the commencement of that marine which was the favourite 
objedt of the czar Peter’s life. The condudt of the fiege 
of Afoph, in 1696, was committed to him ; and he ac¬ 
quitted himfelf in it fo well, that the czar entrufted him. 
with the chief command of all his troops both by land 
and fea. He was alfo appointed to the government of 
Novogorod, and to the firlt place in the miniftry. When 
Peter took the refolution of travelling for his own im¬ 
provement, he created Le Fort his ambuffiador to the 
courts he intended to vifit, and travelled as a private per¬ 
fon in his train. From the influence he poffieffied over 
his mafter, Le Fort was enabled fometimes to controul 
hint in the fits of violence and intemperance to which he 
was too prone; yet at a caroufal in Germany, the czar 
drew his fword upon hi favourite, who narrowly efcaped 
with his life. Peter, when fober, expreffied great concern 
for this fally. Le Fort retained all his favour and con¬ 
fidence till his death, at Mofcow, in 1699. The czar 
honoured him with a moft magnificent funeral, and him¬ 
felf affifted at the proceffion as a military officer. 
FORT A'LICE, / in ancient cuftoms, a fort or place of 
ftrength, originally built for the defence of the diftridt ; 
and which, on that account, was reckoned inter regalia, 
and did not go along with the lands upon which it was 
fituated, without a fpecial grant from the crown. Now, 
fortalices are carried by a general grant of the lands; and 
the word is become fynonomous with manor-place, mef- 
fuage, &c. 
FORTAVENTU'RA, or Fuerte-Ventura, one 
of the Canary iflands, ab®ut fifty miles in length, and 
from eight to tw'enty-four broad. The foil is in general 
fertile in corn, roots, and fruit, and beautifully diverfified 
with.hills and vallies, well watered, and fupplied with a 
variety of timber. This ifland produces, befides the other 
fruits common to the Canaries, a prodigious abundance 
of dates, maftic, and olives, with orchel for dying, and a 
fpecies of fig-tree, that yield's a medicinal balm, as white 
as milk ; but the virtues of it are wholly unknown in 
Europe. An incredible quantity of goat-milk cheefe is 
made in Fortaventura, as may be eafily conceived from 
that i(land’s breeding upwardsof fifty-thoufand kids every 
year. The flefh is fat, better coloured and fvveeter than 
in any other country; eacli of them weighing between 
forty and fifty pounds. There are three towns fituated 
on the eaftern coaft, Langla, Tarafato, and Pozzo Negro, 
with a good road for (hipping between this ifland and the 
ifland of Lobos. Lat. 28. 4. N. Ion. 14. 32. W. Green¬ 
wich. 
FORT'ED, adj. Furnifhed or guarded by forts. Not 
now ujed : 
Your defert fpeaks loud, and I ftiould wrong 
To lock it in the wards of covert bofom, 
When it deferves with charadters of brafs 
A forUd relidence, ’gainft the tooth of time 
And rafure of oblivion. Skahefpeare. 
FOR'TESCUE (Sir John), a learned Englifti lawyer 
and judge, third fon of fir Henry Fortefcue, lord chief- 
juftice of Ireland. He attained the degree of a ferjeant- 
at-law in 1430, and was made chief-juftice of the King’s- 
bench in 1442. He appears to have been a principal 
counfellor in the court of Henry VI, and he faithfully 
adhered to the interefts of that unfortunate king. When 
the (uccefs of Edward IV. obliged Henry to take refugs 
in Scotland, Fortefcue attended him ; and it was proba¬ 
bly there that Henry created him chancellor of England, 
7 X. Is- 
